


It's You, Forever

by beyondthehunt



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec POV, Brief Smut, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fuck the system, Hang the DJ - Black Mirror Inspired, M/M, Magnus POV, Magnus and Alec are with others for plot, Magnus and Alec in awe of each other after first date, Maia and Clary are on the side, Simulation Arc, So many cute scenes, Some angst, but MALEC IS ENDGAME, even if they don't realize it at first, fluff and some angst, head over heels, more like these idots need to get with the program, so is Simon and Raphael (like only a few brief sentences), they're dorks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 04:31:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13651485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondthehunt/pseuds/beyondthehunt
Summary: Magnus and Alec are matched through the Clave’s system, a system designed to find one’s true love. The two connect right away, however, there's one catch: their relationship is only destined to last just under a day. Matched with other people, Magnus and Alec start to wonder just how much they can trust the Clave. Can they trust a system that seems to defy what their hearts wants?(Inspired by S4, EP. 4 ‘Hang the DJ’ from Black Mirror)





	It's You, Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so here is my first major fic. It is based on the episode, Hang the DJ, from Black Mirror. The general basis of the episode is that two people meet through a dating program and have a connection right away, yet their time is cut short. As they spend time with other people, they start to wonder more about the program's logistics and their feelings for one another. You shouldn't need to read the summary of the episode or watch it, however, feel free to do so if it helps clear up any confusion.
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Beta'd by the amazing [ladymissandei](http://ladymissandei.tumblr.com/) whose support kept me going!

Magnus took a sip of his martini, tapping his fingers on the bar counter. He has done this a few times, but for some reason, his nerves were getting to him. Maybe it’s because just two days ago, he was in a relationship that had lasted a year. An entire year wasted on misery and pain. Or maybe part of his nerves were due to the fact that he was waiting for his date, Alec Lightwood, in a _bar_ called Hunter’s Moon.

He did not choose to meet Alec at a bar. It was his partner in crime, Cat, the A.I. that ‘lived’ in the tablet who dictates his love life. Really, they were supposed to call the A.I.’s Coach, but Magnus was not having it. Besides, the name Cat seemed to call to him. Despite the location, Magnus could not complain. The drinks were subpar and he befriended the bartender, Maia. Yes, he befriended the bartender in just a matter of ten minutes. Magnus had to, though, when he saw her sucker-punch a blonde man named Jace, who apparently was causing a scene. Jace, as Maia explained, did not want to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“He’ll show up,” Maia came up to Magnus, sliding him another martini. “They always do.”

Magnus took the martini gratefully. “I hope so. From what Cat has described to me, Alexander is supposedly gorgeous. I could do a gorgeous man right now, and I do mean literally.”

“Oh, Magnus, so charming are we?” Maia chuckled.

“Forgive me if my only expectations are just to take him to bed for only a night. I did just get out of a year-long relationship, and _that_ was a disaster.”

“Hm, I understand. I’m currently on my fifth. It’s been a hell of a ride.”

Magnus raised his martini glass, giving her a nod. He had been through ten relationships so far, courtesy of the Clave. He did not understand its logistics or algorithms. The Clave was all bent to unite lovers, having all to bow down to the Accords, the rules of how they were to follow the Clave. One is that you are to meet with every person the Clave has paired you with and stay with them for the entire time that has been given. You cannot break-up, even if the world was ending. In short, you had to go through with each relationship until the Clave has found your ultimate compatible other, no matter how much you despised the other person. There was a guaranteed 99.8% success rate, after all, so the one was bound to happen.

“E-excuse me, are you Magnus?”

Magnus looked up to find a _very_ beautiful man looking down at him, whom he presumed was Alec. He was dressed in a simple, all-black outfit with a leather jacket, a huge contrast from Magnus’s wardrobe. Though, Alec's hazel eyes were all the color in the world that Magnus needed in that moment. He could get lost into those eyes for eternity, if time granted him such a luxury.

He must have been staring for too long, for when he finally snapped out of his gaze, Alec was rambling. “...this is my first time using the Clave, so again I’m really sorry. Iz said that my date would be a ‘breathtakingly handsome’ man, which is really not that helpful, but I saw you so I just assumed…”

“Alexander, right?” Magnus finally said, abruptly cutting the other man off. “You were very correct to assume, so thank you for the compliment. I must say you look very breathtaking as well. Very ravishing in fact.”

Alec’s face flushed at the comment, growing very pink. “T-thank you. You t-wait, I already said that.”

Magnus let out a laugh, smiling up at at the man. “Oh, please, compliment me as much as you want. Just expect a compliment back as well.”

That earned yet another blush from Alec. Magnus was beaming inside at the fact that he already made his date blush twice in just a matter of seconds. He could only imagine what he could make the man do in bed. Maia suddenly made her way over, sliding over two martinis.

“It’s about time you show up. Though, I can't imagine Magnus complaining about the wait because damn, Cat was right,” Maia said, giving a wink.

“Cat?” Alexander asked.

“My Coach,” Magnus explained, side-eyeing Maia. “Please excuse Maia over here. I was not waiting that long.”

“Oh, well still, I must apologize. It’s like I mentioned before, I’m new to using the Clave and really, it’s just a little confusing.”

“Not a problem as I completely understand. It took me some time to get a hang of the Clave, too.”

Maia looked between the two of them, smiling in amusement. “Right, well I’ll let you two continue on with your date. Holler at me if you need a refill,” she said, excusing herself.

Magnus nodded, taking a drink. He looked up at Alec who was taking a sip of his martini, looking around the room. “Shall we check our expiry date?”

“Uh, sure. How do we do that?” Alec pulled out his Coach.

“It’s under ‘info’. We need to tap at the same time to reveal,” Magnus explained, pulling up the screen. “Ready?”

“Yeah. On three?”

“Okay, 1, 2 , 3, go.”

Magnus was not sure what he was expecting, but definitely not sixteen hours. He only had sixteen hours with this gorgeous man. Magnus looked up to try and gauge Alec’s reaction, but Alec’s expression appeared to be non-readable. He could only try and imagine the other man’s thoughts. The short time panged Magnus a little because Alec was new to this and just so innocent. By the end of it all, Alec would come out a changed man. Magnus was determined to make these sixteen hours the best for Alec and to make sure to let him know to keep holding on.

“I didn’t expect, um, such a short time,” Alec said, breaking the short silence.

“Yeah,” Magnus replied, “but fear not. We’re going to make the best of it. First, how about a game of pool? Fair warning, though, I tend to get a little competitive, so don’t expect to win.

“Well, then, I don’t know how to tell you this,” Alec started with a smirk, “I don’t lose.”

♥♥♥

Alec played a quite a good game, but Magnus won nonetheless. He knew he would, so really it was no surprise. Sure, he could’ve let Alec win, to be a good gentleman on the first date and all, but where was the fun in that? Alec tried to look upset with his lost, but Magnus could see his lips quirking a little. He was impressed, _quite_ impressed in fact for Alec had licked his lips, gazing at Magnus. Honestly, this man was going to be the death of him despite their short-time together.

“You don't lose, huh?” Magnus said in a teasing manner.

“Usually, I’d try and say you cheated by using magic or whatever, but you’re pretty great with a set of balls.”

Alec froze, realizing what he just said, causing Magnus to let out a loud laugh. He waltzed over to Alec who was red in the face - for the third time tonight - and put a hand on his chest. Lightly grazing Alec’s jacket, Magnus looked into his eyes.

“I did tell you to not expect to win.”

Alec just rolled his eyes, licking his lips once more. Magnus could take this chance to kiss him right here and right now, and really, it was hard not to. He started the night out by expecting to just take the man to bed for a night because he didn’t know if he’d be able to handle learning things about yet another person. Things that would just be stored in the back of his brain, never to be touched again. However, Alec made him _want_ to learn every little detail he possibly could, so he was going to take full advantage of the sixteen hours they had.

“What do you say we get out of here?” Magnus suggested.

“I’d like that,” Alec said, smiling.

Courtesy of Cat, a car pulled up, picking them up. The ride was nothing but silence, though it was a comfortable silence. Magnus was filled with nervous excitement, unlike the sickening nerves he felt at the beginning of the date. He didn’t know why, because he was not planning to do anything other than just to talk with Alec, and maybe end their time together with a kiss. Maybe that was why - the only expectation for the night was just talking.

They soon passed by the towering wall that kept the city away from whatever dangers lurked on the other side. Magnus had always wondered what was on the other side of the wall. He’d heard of stories, such as those who went against the Clave were sent over the wall, but he still didn’t know for sure. The car finally pulled up to a numbered house, a place the Clave set up for couples to stay in for the duration of their relationship. Alec jumped out, walking around to meet Magnus. He bowed down, extending his hand out for Magnus to take.

“Do allow me to escort you, sir,” he said, imitating a British accent.

Magnus laughed, taking Alec’s hands into his. “Why, thank you, darling. I do appreciate a gentleman with such fine manners.”

Alec beamed, leading Magnus towards the house. The act was surprising to Magnus, for Alec seemed to be sporting a much bolder confidence, but that just meant he felt at ease with Magnus. They stepped inside the place, the fireplace already lit and illuminating the room.

Right away, Magnus found the kitchen and searched for a bottle of champagne to pop open. Alec was taking off his leather jacket when Magnus walked in with a bottle, exposing his bulging arms. Magnus poured a glass for him and Alec before settling down on the couch.

“So, I have to ask, why did you name your Coach Cat?” Alec asked, turning to face Magnus.

“Hm, I don’t know. The name just called to me, as if it had meaning to me in another life,” Magnus explained. “And you? I thought I heard you refer to it as Iz.”

“Same reason as you, to be honest. It just feels as if though the name belonged to someone I admired.”

Magnus hummed in agreement, closing his eyes as the warmth of the fire made its way to him. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Imagining a life before the Clave was put into place.”

“Yeah. In fact, I can’t really remember much of anything before the Clave.”

“Ugh, could you imagine having to be the one to decide who you think is best for you? Though I swear I’m at my wit’s end when it comes to the Clave, I can’t think of how I could manage. You’d have to figure out who to trust and who you’d want to spend the rest of your life with all on your own.”

Alec shivered, scooting a little closer to Magnus. “I’d say I definitely would not be on this date with you right now. There’s just no way in hell.”

Magnus let out a gasp, placing his hand on his heart for extra effect. “Darling, I can say with absolute sureness that you would be. I’m not saying you would’ve made the move, but I would have.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes! Come on, Alexander. I thought we established this earlier? I made it very clear that you are stunning.”

Alec let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “How would our paths even cross?”

Magnus stared at Alec, thinking about the possibilities of how they’d meet in another life. Maybe they’d pass each other by in the streets or bump into each other at a coffee shop. Or, they’d meet in a bar, like tonight. Magnus decided that he didn’t really care how their paths would cross, as long as it happened. It’d be a shame if he never met Alec. He wasn’t sure if it was possible to miss someone you never met, but he felt as if though that’d be the case with him.

“I’d make sure to find you and whisk you away to my castle.”

“Castle? Getting wild with your imagination, huh?”

“Why not, my dear?”

The two continued on like this, making up little scenarios of their imaginary life. In one case, they adopted a cat in which Magnus insisted they named him Chairman Meow. Alec had a field day with that, asking how on earth Magnus even came up with that. The whole thing was just so nice and carefree, Magnus could not help but to wonder what would happen if he convinced Alec to stay even after their time was up.

He wouldn’t dare to so, for as far as he knew, those who tried to defy the Clave disappeared without a trace. And he did not want to be cause of Alec’s disappearance. No, he was going to ride out the rest of their time together and appreciate that he got the chance to meet the wonderful man.

“Wow, I didn’t realize how late it is,” Alec pointed out, looking at the time on the tablet. It was three in the morning.

“Oh, we sure let time get away from us, huh?” Magnus stood up from the couch, holding out his hand for Alec. “Let’s go to bed, yes?”

Alec smiled, taking his hands. Making their way to the bedroom, Magnus started to unbuckle his pants. “I hope you don’t mind, but I prefer to sleep in my boxers. There are pajama bottoms you can wear in the closet over there.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Alec said, “I prefer to sleep in my boxers too. And without a shirt. It gets stuffy during the night.”

Magnus noticed the smirk Alec wore and silently cursed himself. Both of them in bed, with barely any clothes on...is he doing this on purpose? He smirked back at Alec, removing his shirt before settling into the bed with Alec following shortly after. He snuggled into the blanket covers, turning his head to look at Alec, who was staring above at the ceiling.

“Good night, or morning I suppose, if you want to get technical,” Magnus said.

Alec let out a small chuckle. “Good night, Magnus.”

His heart started hammering. He hadn't realized how much he liked it when Alec said his name. If only he could hear it some more. Magnus closed his eyes and his thoughts started wandering. He was dead tired but his mind was still buzzing. Alec had already fallen asleep and his adorable little snores interrupted Magnus' thoughts ever so often. His thoughts drifted away to... His snores had been obnoxious and had kept him awake for hours.

But Alec was somehow different. His snores were almost calming if that made sense.

Magnus reached out for Alec’s hand, gently squeezing them. He could feel himself getting drowsy now, fluttering his eyes every so often. He had never felt so content in his life like right now.

♥♥♥

The sunlight shone brightly through the curtains of the bedroom window, stirring Magnus from his slumber. He was cuddled against the sides of Alec, whose arms had made his way around Magnus sometime during the night. Smiling to himself, Magnus gently untangled himself from Alec’s embrace, climbing out of bed. He looked at the timer on his tablet that was counting down the time of his relationship with Alec. Two hours.

Making a cup of coffee, Magnus settled down at the kitchen table. He had slept wonderfully, and he couldn't help but wonder if part of it was due to Alec’s presence. It had been awhile since he had a good night’s sleep. It was a funny thing, really, at how one person could make such a small difference in such a short amount of time.

“Magnus?” he heard Alec groggily call out. “Oh, there you are.”

Alec came walking into the kitchen, still in just his boxers. Now that Alec was standing before him in all his glory and in the sunlight, Magnus could really appreciate the looks of the man. If he saw Alec as the front of a magazine cover, he’d have been convinced it was all photoshop. But, having been snuggled up to the man just a few minutes earlier and seeing the view up close, he knew it was not.

“Um, do I have something on me?” Alec asked, looking down at himself.

Magnus could’ve easily curse himself for being caught ogling, but he did not care. Alec really was a gorgeous man and he was going to take it all in. “Hm, no. I was just appreciating the view.”

Cheeks turning red, Alec walked over to the coffee machine. He poured himself a cup of coffee before making his way over to Magnus, taking a seat next to him.

“So, I noticed that we only have close to two hours left…” Alec was fidgeting with the coffee cup in his hands, biting his lips.

“What’s on your mind, Alexander?”

“It’s just, uh, I’m wondering if the next person will be as easy as you. I mean, I just wonder if I’ll connect with them as easily as I did with you.”

Magnus’s heart jumped at this. He gave a small smile, reaching to move the cup out of Alec’s hands and onto the table. Cupping Alec’s hands in his, he looked into the man’s eyes.

“I wish I could say the Clave will partner you with people that have similar interests as you, but not always. Sometimes, the Clave will put you with people you absolutely despise. It’s a part of their ‘matchmaking process’ as Cat has explained it. You will want to leave, even though you can’t. It will probably make you want to bang your head against a wall a few times, I know I did. But, do not give up.

“I had just got out of a year relationship with a woman who was just...it was horrible. I was sure I was so far gone after just us being together for a few months. I closed myself off because I just could not bare another second. But then I met you. In just fourteen hours, Alexander, you made me feel alive again. You made me hope. So, please, do not give up. There’s someone out there who is waiting for you to come along and sweep them off their feet.”

Alec was rubbing circles with his thumb on Magnus’s hands, smiling at him. “Your answer was much better than Iz’s. Thank you, Magnus.”

“Of course,” Magnus said, pulling back. “Wait, you consulted with your Coach before me? When?”

“I talked about it with Iz before our date. I was asking her about what happens if I didn’t feel a connection with anyone and all of that stuff.”

“Oh. Hm, well I have been told I’m very wise. Maybe I should just become a Coach.”

Alec let out a loud laugh, shaking his head fondly. “I don’t think that’s even possible. Besides, I fear that you'd be too busy making everyone falling in love with you instead. Not that that is hard to do.” Alec seemed to drop his head down, avoiding Magnus’s gaze, as if he did not mean for that to be said.

Magnus was done for. How could one man, especially one he’d barely known for a day, make him feel so much? Choosing not to respond to the comment, he cleared his throat to catch Alec’s attention. Alec slowly looked up, obviously still flustered from his previous statement.

“Would you care for breakfast? I make a mean Belgian waffle,” Magnus offered, moving from his seat.

“Uh, yeah, that sounds lovely.”

After whipping up a batch of waffles, Magnus and Alec sat at the table, eating and making small talk. The small talk was not uncomfortable per se, but as their time winded down, the talk did too. It was obvious that both of them wanted more time with one another. Magnus did not want to jump into more meaningless relationships where there was no mutual interest. He did not want to say goodbye to Alexander.

Alec excused himself, leaving to get ready. Magnus just remained at the table, watching the timer count down. The ticking noise just seemed to get louder and louder with each passing second. He should probably get ready too, for he would have to leave when Alec did. He should just snap out of it. Being mopey over one man was not going to do him any good. Sighing as he got up from the table, he forced himself to get dressed. Alec was combing his hair, which was pretty much useless. His hair was naturally messy, no matter what he did.

Of course right then and there, Magnus had to wonder how Alec’s hair would look after he was fucked mercilessly. Shuddering at the thought, Magnus finished buttoning up his shirt, dabbing as little at his eyes. Surprisingly, the makeup he wore only smudged slightly. At least he didn’t have to worry about Alec watching him walk around with raccoon eyes. He didn’t think Alec would care, but it would have just been a little embarrassing.

The timer beeped, alerting Magnus that only five minutes left remained. He started wondering what he could to make these last minutes something Alec could never forget. There was a way in which he could have done so, but it was too late for that. Though, maybe there was something else he could do instead.

“Our rides are here according to Iz,” Alec said, nervously twiddling with his thumbs. “Walk out together?”

Magnus nodded his head and grabbed Alec’s hand. They slowly made their way out of the door, walking in silence. The cars for each of them pulled up as the timer hit two minutes. Fuck, how was time passing them by so quickly?

“Alexander…” Magnus managed to croak out, “I just wanted to say thank you. I didn’t think I would ever feel something again, even just the smallest thing, and well, you’ve opened up something in me. So thank you.”

“And I want to thank you for being my first. I know you didn’t really choose to be, but still…” Alec trailed off, giving a small smile. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Magnus’s heart began to thump faster as Alec moved in closer towards him. He swore he saw Alec’s eyes flick down at his lips, and the fact that he licked his lips while doing so did not help at all. The timer then let out a shrill beep, causing Alec to jerk back a little. Their time was up.

“Goodbye Magnus.”

“Goodbye, Alexander.”

Magnus watched as Alec walked away, heading for the car. He’d likely never see Alec again. He could only hope that Alec would find the one quickly, though he knew that wouldn’t be the case. The Clave guaranteed that each person would have to go through a string of relationships in order to be matched with the one. But, nonetheless, Magnus watched with hope as Alec disappeared in the distance. May whoever is granted with the luxury of forever with Alec love and cherish him like no other.

______________________♥♥♥______________________

Alec could still feel his heart beating rapidly as he disappeared from Magnus’s view. Everything that happened in the last sixteen hours seemed to be a blur. When Iz had alerted him about his first match, he didn’t know what to think. Something about it had felt strange. Something he couldn’t really describe.

When he met Magnus, his doubts had went away. Right from the start, he could feel a pull towards Magnus. It seemed as if though the world had stopped and Magnus was the only force to stop it from completely fading away. Then the countdown started and all his doubts came rushing back in. As the night went on, the pull only grew stronger and stronger. How could the Clave believe that Magnus and him were only meant to be together for sixteen hours?

He didn’t understand the logic or the point of this whole thing. If he felt a connection with Magnus, why did he have to start all over with a new person? Yeah, it was true that he didn’t believe he’d have met Magnus if it weren't for the Clave, but still…he was matched with Magnus for a _reason_. Shouldn’t that be enough for the Clave? Shouldn’t the whole deal be ‘hey, we’ll set you up and then you can decide if you want to pursue it further or not’?

Magnus’s words popped into his head then. ‘ _You’d have to figure out who to trust and who you’d want to spend the rest of your life with all on your own’._ It was scary to think about having to be the one to decide if the person you’re with is the one you want to spend forever with. If he was this worked up over just one man, could he really trust himself to decide on his forever?

Maybe it was best to just let the Clave take control. Afterall, it is possible to make a connection with just more than one person. Magnus was his first match, which could explain his sappy feelings. Honestly, for all he knows, Magnus and him would’ve never really worked out in the end. He could’ve spent five years with Magnus before realizing that maybe they just weren’t meant to be.

Right. It was likely he was never going to see him again, anyway. Plus, Magnus was probably close to getting paired with his one and would forget all about Alec. They were just supposed to be in each other’s life for a short time and nothing else. They would remain only a memory for one another.

He would take the memory of Magnus and put it away for the times he’d need it most.

♥♥♥

Alec had wondered why his date with Magnus was set up at The Hunter’s Moon. While he had nothing against the place, it was a _bar_. A bar did not exactly scream ‘’first-date’ material. However, as he was gulping down his third bottle of beer while listening to his date, he could see why it was the perfect place for a first date. There was the opportunity to get drunk off your ass if the date was starting to enter the awkward zone. Which was what was happening right now for Alec.

After just three days of leaving behind Magnus, Alec was matched with Eli. Eli, who was sitting right in front of Alec, ranting about something that Alec just couldn’t care to remember. Now, there was nothing wrong with Eli, really, except for the fact that he was just...average. And Alec was expected to be in a relationship with him for an entire year.

“Hello?” Eli asked, snapping Alec out of his daze. “Do you want to get out of here? You look like you’d rather be anywhere else but here.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry. That seems like a good idea,” Alec said, forcing a smile onto his face. “I think I overestimated my alcohol tolerance.”

Eli let out a laugh, nodding his head in agreement. “Right, me too. I’m actually starting to feel dizzy.” Pulling out his tablet, Eli ordered for a car to pick them up. He then offered his hand for Alec to grab.

Ale reluctantly joined his hands with Eli’s and couldn’t help but noticed how wrong it felt. Eli’s hands felt awkward and just didn’t fit quite right with Alec’s. Magnus’s were soft and fit right in as if they were a missing puzzle piece. Okay, he really needed to stop. He was just making this worse for himself. All he needed to do was find something that he and Eli shared in common.

That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

“Are you okay?”

Alec turned to find Eli staring at him in worry. Fuck, he was doing this all wrong. Guilt flooded through him. Eli was a part of this relationship too, and Alec could only imagine what the other man was feeling. This was a new relationship for Eli too, so he was likely sharing some of the same fears as Alec.

Alec let out a shaky breath. “God, I’m being a horrible date, huh?”

“No, no, I was going to say I’ve been the horrible one,” Eli responded, “I’ve just been rambling on about god knows what, not even bothering to ask about what you’re thinking about.”

“It’s okay, really. I’m not much of a talker. Though, I could try and make an effort.”

Eli smiled at Alec, giving a small shrug. “I just find it easier to talk, though I know it’s not for everyone. Let’s make a deal, yeah? I can do most of the talking and you just jump in whenever you feel like it. Don’t be afraid to let me know what you’re thinking.”

“Yeah, yeah. We can do that,” Alec said, smiling back at Eli.

♥♥♥

He was going insane. Two months in and he was fucking losing it. Alec thought he could handle it. He thought it would be easy to just let Eli do whatever while he sat back, joining in every so often. But it wasn’t working. Somehow, Eli literally found _anything_ and _everything_ to talk about.

God, Alec didn’t even know it was humanly possible to talk that much. Even Simon Lewis, an accountant whose pairing day Alec and Eli had been invited to, didn’t talk that much. Simon had made an effort to talk to everyone who showed up that day and there were at least two hundred people who had attended. Alec had felt a little sorry for Simon’s partner, Raphael, whom Alec didn’t quite understand. He was quite reserved unlike Simon, hiding among the shadows.

Alec didn’t always prefer silence, for sometimes it could be so deafening, crowding him with loneliness, but he needed it. He needed to just be alone. Really, he didn’t know how much longer he could bare to listen to Eli talk about the history of Alexander the Great all because Eli just now made the connection that Alec’s name was Alexander. The way his name fell from Eli’s lips made him shudder, and not in the good way.

When Magnus called him Alexander, Alec didn’t bother to try and correct Magnus. His name had sounded so heavenly when it escaped Magnus’s mouth. Magnus never left Alec’s mind. As much as he tried to push Magnus to the back of his mind, Magnus was always right there, front and center. Thinking of Magnus brought him a sense of hope and tranquility that one day, he would feel like how he did with Magnus again.

“How come you go by Alec instead of Alex? Alex just makes much more sense than Alec. Did your parents decide that for you? Wait, why would you want to be called Alec anyway? Alexander is a great name! Alexander...Alex-”

“Just shut up! Shut the fuck up! And don’t you dare fucking say Alexander one more time or I swear...” Alec trailed off, realizing that he just snapped. Eli was looking at him in shock, his mouth slightly agape. Alec knew he should probably be feeling guilty right now, but at the moment, he didn’t give a single fuck.

“I need to be alone,” he told Eli, walking over to grab his jacket. “Don’t wait up for me.”

Alec walked out of the door, stepping out into the cool breeze. The sun was starting to set, coloring the sky with tints of orange and pink. Alec let his feet take control and guide him to wherever as he tried to clear his mind. Except all Alec could was think about how he still had ten months left with Eli. Ten long, excruciating months.

Alec reached for his tablet, powering the device on. “Hey, Iz, I need to talk to you.”

“How can I help you, Alec?”

Taking a deep breath in and exhaling, Alec asked. “I know the deal is to stick it out, but is it possible to just walk away? It’s been two months and there’s just not a connection between Eli and I. What good would another ten months do?”

“I’m afraid you cannot. One day it will provide you with the ultimate match.”

“That’s the problem! One day! When will that one day come? For all I know, I’ll be ninety before I find the one.”

“The more input I receive, the better I can provide you with the ultimate match. Unfortunately, I cannot say when that will be,” Iz stated.

“What if I already met the one?” Alec asked, his mind wandering to Magnus.

Silence was the only response he received. Go figure. Shoving the device back into his pocket, Alec kicked a rock that was in front of him. He was going to go crazy if he wasn’t already. He wished he had the belief that it would all work out in the end, but all he could was just feel sorry for himself. He just needed to drown in the anger that washed over him, because there was no way he could allow himself to feel any more hope.

Hope was totally overrated.

♥♥♥

“Come on, Alec, we’re going to be late!” Eli shouted.

“I’m coming!” Alec yelled back, adjusting his collar one last time. He hurried out into the living room where Eli was standing with his arms crossed, tapping his foot. “Oh for fuck’s sake, you weren’t waiting that long.”

Eli didn’t say anything, instead rolling his eyes and reaching for the door handle. He opened the door with a big swing, waving his other arm in a big gesture. “Let’s go.”

Alec stalked off past him, letting out a scoff. He slid into the car with Eli following shortly after. They were on their way to the Pairing Day of Maia and Clary. Alec was happy to hear that Maia found her ultimate match. Even though he only knew her for the brief second on his date with Magnus, she seemed to be a lovely person. Also, when Magnus told him about how Maia punched a guy, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

“I swear if this ends up being like the last one we went to, I’m going to jump off a cliff,” Eli muttered.

“Hm, I’ll be right there with you.”

Eli looked at Alec with a raised eyebrow. “You’d jump off with me?”

“Who said I was jumping?”

Alec heard Eli let out a scoff, muttering something under his breath. Obviously, he’d prefer the guy to not jump off a cliff at all, but it doesn’t mean he finds Eli any less irritable. As they pulled into Central Park, Alec looked to see the crowd gathering. Maia and Clary were in the center, smiling at each other.

Stepping out of the car, Alec headed straight towards the two women, ignoring Eli’s suggestion of heading for the buffet. Usually, he’d be all in for the free food, but he knew Eli would ramble on about the food selection. Maia noticed him making his way over, waving hello.

“Well, well, look who it is. The man who was late to his date,” she teased.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Alec said, going in for a hug. “Congratulations.”

Maia chuckled, hugging him back tightly. “Thank you.” She pulled back, moving a hand to place on Clary’s arm. “Clary, this is Alec. Alec, Clary.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alec said.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Clary responded, giving a shy smile.

Maia then called the attention of the crowd, pulling Clary to her side. She went into a speech about how she and Clary met a year ago, never expecting Clary to be her one. Maia explained that she had been feeling hopeless before meeting Clary, her belief in the Clave worn down. When Clary came along, it was as if though everything fell back into place for her.

“I know it can seem like the Clave is against you, but believe me, your time will come,” Clary jumped in. “It’ll come when you least expect it, like it was for me.”

Maia and her then shared a kiss, raising a cheer from the crowd. Alec was really happy for the, he was, but he didn’t exactly in their words. He believed they were in love, but about the Clave, it was bullshit. Maia and Clary then went off to greet some people and Alec decided not to put off the buffet anymore. He was sure Eli was engrossed in a conversation with some poor stranger by now.

Walking up the buffet table, Alec indulged himself with some chicken fingers. He was in the middle of chewing when suddenly he heard a voice he never thought he’d hear again.

“Alexander, is that you?”

Alec slowly turned around, coming face to face with Magnus. Holy shit. Magnus was dressed in a green mountain print shirt accompanied by a pair of slick, black pants. It was simpler than the outfit he wore on their date, but he was still as breathtaking as ever.

Quickly swallowing his food, Alec wiped his hands on his pants. “Magnus? What are you doing here?”

Magnus let out a chuckle, gesturing to their surroundings. “Same reason as you. I was invited to see the amazing wonders of the Clave’s work. Maia and Clary make a lovely couple, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, they look like they’re really in love.”

“Hm, very in love from what I see. So, how have you been?”

Alec pondered on whether or not he should tell the truth. He could say he was miserable, but he didn’t want to go into the details of his misery. Especially with the way Magnus was staring at him. “I’ve been, uh, good. And you?”

“I’ve been well. I have to say, I’m really happy to see you here tonight. I’ve been thinking about you.”

Magnus has been thinking about him? He opened his mouth to say that he had been thinking of Magnus as well, however, a man came wandering over towards them, placing his hands on Magnus’s shoulders. “There you are, babe.”

Of course. Of course Magnus would be with someone right now. Alec was with someone too, and even if both were single, it’s not like they could hook-up anyway. They had their time together and that was long over with now.

“Alexander, this is Imasu. Imasu, this is Alec. We...were together for a bit,” Magnus introduced.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Imasu asked, shaking Alec’s hands.

“Great, great. How long have you guys, uh, been together for?”

“A few months. I didn’t think Magnus and I would hit it off, but we did and it’s been amazing so far,” Imasu explained.

“Yeah, well, Magnus is an amazing guy.”

Magnus smiled, slightly shaking his head at the compliment. “Hm, well Imasu is amazing too.”

A pang shot through Alec’s heart. He wanted the best for Magnus, but a small part of him had hoped that maybe Magnus was unhappy like Alec. Alec wanted to believe that Magnus was missing Alec as much as he was missing him. Eli came walking towards them holding a plate full of food.

“You ready to go?” Eli asked, shoving a piece of lobster into his mouth.

“We haven’t seen Maia and Clary off yet,” Alec said. “Eli, this is Magnus and Imasu.”

“Oh, hey,” Eli greeted. “Why do I care who they are?”

Alec bit the insides of his cheek, giving an apologetic look towards Magnus. “Okay, I’m going to say my goodbyes. It was nice seeing you again Magnus, and it was nice meeting you, Imasu.”

“Oh, alright. It was nice seeing you again, too, Alexander,” Magnus said. Imasu waved at him, obviously unimpressed with Eli.

As he walked off with Eli, he had to force himself to hold in his anger. “How come Mason or whatever could call you Alexander without you blowing up on him?” Eli asked.

“His name’s Magnus. And he could call me Alexander because he didn’t fucking say my name hundred times while comparing me to Alexander the Great.”

“That was three months ago.”

Alec ignored him, making his way over to Maia and Clary. The two women were joined at the hips, laughing at what the other said. It was a personal moment that Alec felt blessed to have witnessed. The two were away from the crowd, just lost in the moment with one another. Alec smiled to himself, letting the scene wash over him. For just a second, he could forget about his current situation, acting only as a bystander in another love story.

“Maia, Clary,” Alec greeted, walking up to the women. “I wish I could see you off, but I’m afraid I have to go. I just wanted to wish you guys the best.”

“Aw, thank you Alec. I’m glad you were able to meet Clary,” Maia said.

“Yeah, it was really nice meeting you,” Clary noted.

Alec gave them each a hug before turning back to find Eli. Of course Eli was picking at the last of what was left at the buffet, stacking whatever he could on a single plate. Alec let out a deep sigh, walking over to the car. Maybe the food would keep Eli’s mouth shut for the night, though, Alec could guess that Eli would talk with his mouth full anyway.

“Alexander!” Alec looked up to find Magnus running over to him. Magnus stopped in front of him, taking a moment to catch his breath. “My God, you literally take my breath away.”

Alec let out a laugh, eyeing Magnus. “Come on, you could do so much better than that.”

“Hm, maybe, but I don’t care. I’m glad I managed to catch you before you left.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Magnus said, reaching for Alec’s hands. “I just wanted to remind you to remember what I said. To not give up. I know what you’re feeling right now and I know it’s not easy. You’re probably close to strangling the man, huh?”

“Like you would not believe,” Alec muttered.

“Well, just hold on a little while longer, okay? I just want to know that you’ll be okay.”

Alec nodded his head, squeezing Magnus’s hands. “Thank you, Magnus. I promise I will hold on and I will not give up. And I want to say that I’m happy for you. Imasu seems like a great guy.”

Magnus smiled at him. “He is. Though, we only have about a few months left anyway.”

“Really? Hm, I’m still happy for you.”

“Are you guys done?” Eli was standing a few feet away, looking at them in annoyance.

“I guess I should you let you go then,” Magnus said. He then leaned over to whisper into Alec’s ear. “One day, Alexander. One day.”

Magnus let go of Alec’s hands, walking over to Eli. He grabbed a handful of chicken fingers off of Eli’s plate, saluting him in thanks. Alec had to muffle his laugh with a cough, shaking his head in amusement. Eli quickly got into the car, slamming the door shut after him.

“You don’t steal a guy’s chicken fingers. That ain’t right.”

“And you don’t dismiss people when someone is introducing you to them, but whatever I guess,” Alec snided.

Alec almost wished that Magnus had shoved a chicken finger down Eli’s throat.

♥♥♥

Five hours. Only five hours remaining until Alec was free of Eli. It was strange at how fast the time went by while it was agonizingly slow at the same time. But here he was, staring at the countdown on his tablet. Maybe it was wrong for Alec to feel this giddy, but he was going to be free of Eli. Alec didn’t care that he’d likely be matched within a day or two after.

He was going to rejoice. Surely, whoever was next wouldn’t be as bad, right?

“Should we have sex?”

Alec jumped from his seat, his eyes bulging. Eli was staring at him, standing still as if he wasn't sure what to do. “Why the hell would we have sex?”

“I don’t know, I figured it was something to do to past the time. We haven’t really tried anything further than...and-”

“And what?” Alec cut him off. “There’s no need to jump into sex, sex that would likely be uncomfortable, just to past the time.”

Shuddering at the thought, Alec just moved past Eli, heading for the kitchen. He thought about making Belgian waffles, but he didn’t want to ruin the memory of the waffles with Magnus due to Eli. Instead, he settled for cereal.

“I was joking, you know,” Eli announced, walking into the kitchen.

“I don’t care, okay? Let’s end this on a neutral note. You stay quiet and I stay quiet. We don’t need to say one more word to each other.”

“Fine.”

Well, that was easy. Alec took a bite of a bite of his cereal, reading the back of the cereal box. Suddenly, Eli took the box from Alec’s hands, pouring himself a bowl in an obnoxious manner. Eli made sure to slam the box onto the table before shoving a spoonful into his mouth, chewing loudly with his mouth open. Milk dribbled down Eli’s chin, dripping onto his shirt.

Right, he should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy. When were things with Eli ever easy?

“It’s rude to chew with your mouth open. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that?” Alec said, crossing his arms.

Eli stuck out his tongue, chewed-up cereal falling from his mouth. Alec made a small noise of disgust, annoyance building up inside of him. Eli chuckled as he took another huge bite, staring right at Alec. Well, two could play this game. Alec flashed his teeth at Eli, grabbing the milk carton at the end of the table. He picked it up and opened the lid before pouring it all over Eli.

“What the fuck!” Eli exclaimed, jumping back from Alec.

“I said it’s fucking rude to chew with your mouth open,” Alec reiterated.

Eli sputtered, trying to wipe off the milk. “Why the hell did the Clave think we were ever compatible?”

“My exact question.”

The two cautiously eyed each other as the timer counted down. Eli did not utter one single word to Alec, only choosing to whisper to his Coach every so often. Alec just hung by the door, listening to the tick of the timer. He remembered how it felt like when waiting for his time to end with Magnus. The reality around him had felt distorted and the only thing Alec could focus on was Magnus and the way his touches lingered. He also couldn’t help but to watch the way Magnus’s adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he talked.

How had it been a year since then? It felt like a lifetime ago.

Alec wondered about Imasu. Magnus had looked so content with him. It saddened Alec, not because it wasn’t him, but that Imasu wasn’t Magnus’s last. Magnus deserved to have his last. He went along with the Clave long enough and it was time for his one day. The timer beeped. Alec looked to see that there were only five minutes left.

He opened the door and stepped outside. Eli was right behind him, humming a song that Alec didn’t recognize. In five minutes, he’d never see Eli again (at least that is what he hoped). It felt odd in a sense. A year with someone whom he shared a living space with all to be gone in a few minutes. Alec couldn’t decide then if it was easier to only share sixteen hours with a person or a year.

Well, it depended on the person whom the hours were shared with. Alec had wished for more time with Magnus and less with Eli. Two cars pulled up into the driveway as the time went down to a minute. Alec headed to the car, jumping in the backseat.

“Wow, so you’re not going to say goodbye?” Eli yelled out.

Alec raised his middle finger. “Goodbye.”

The car started up as Eli walked over to his. Alec counted down out loud in sync with the timer.

“Three, two, one...and we’re done.”

♥♥♥

Alec took a deep breath, gazing up at the sky. He was currently waiting for his date outside at Central Park. It had been a week since his relationship with Eli ended. A week that ended up being the most peaceful time Alec had experienced in over a year. Now he was preparing himself to let go of that peace.

He checked the time again and scoffed. His date was late by twenty minutes. Alec wouldn’t have minded so much if it weren’t for the fact that the temperature had dropped a few degrees and he forgot to bring his jacket. Why was the date happening at Central Park anyway? He had thought it’d be The Hunter’s Moon again. God, he could use a drink now.

“Iz, what happens if my date doesn’t show up?”

“I’d have a long talk with him and scold him for making a gorgeous man like you wait so long.”

What the hell? Alec perked his head up, his heart thudding against his chest. _Magnus?_

 

______________________♥♥♥______________________

_Alexander._

Magnus soaked in the sight of Alec whose beauty had never looked so ethereal as it did under the moonlight. Alec was staring at him with his eyes wide, reminding Magnus of the hazel eyes he had missed so much. As a blast of cold wind came through, Alec shuddered, prompting Magnus to drop the items he had in his hands in order to jump over to Alec and give him his jacket.

“Y-you don’t have to-”

“Darling, you’ve been standing here, waiting for me to show up _without_ a jacket to keep you warm,” Magnus pointed out. “I’m not letting you freeze any longer.”

Alec let out a small chuckle, wrapping himself in Magnus’s jacket. “And w-what about you?”

Magnus winked at Alec, gesturing to the blanket and picnic basket he dropped. “Well instead of sitting on the blanket, we’re going to wrap ourselves in the blanket. Honestly, I like that option much better since it gives me the opportunity to snuggle with you.”

Alec swiped his tongue across his bottom lips, nodding his head. “I like that idea too. But before I forget, can I ask you a question?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Magnus’s breath hitched. He stared at Alec who was looking at him with so much intensity, Magnus swore he was going to explode. He nodded his head, whispering a ‘yes’. Alec grabbed him by the hem of his shirt, pressing his lips against Magnus’s.

 _God_ , Magnus never knew a kiss could be this electrifying. Alec’s lips were so soft and warm and just so heavenly. A small moan escaped from Alec’s throat as Magnus entwined his hands in Alec’s hair, pulling on it slightly. The kiss was full of passion, need and want. The world around them was forgotten, a safe haven formed in their embrace.

Magnus wasn’t sure how much time passed, his head dizzying from the kiss and his need for oxygen rising. Reluctantly, he pulled back, causing Alec to let out a whimper. Magnus chuckled, pressing his forehead against Alec’s. Alec slowly opened his eyes, his pupils blown. He looked so beautiful.

“I’m going to have to start carrying an oxygen tank around with me because my, oh my, Alexander, you keep taking my breath away,” Magnus stated.

“I could say the same for you,” Alec said.

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?”

“No, we can’t.”

The two then burst out in laughter, their noses bumping with each other. Alec’s laugh sounded like pure heaven. Magnus was sure that Alec had to be an angel, or at least a descendent of an angel. Everything Alec did was filled with such grace.

“I can’t believe we were matched again. Is that even allowed?” Alec managed to ask, catching his breath.

“I don’t know. When I found out it was you, I wasn’t sure if I was getting played somehow,” Magnus told. “But here we are.”

“Here we are,” Alec repeated in a whisper, kissing Magnus once more.

“Wait, wait.” Magnus went over by the blanket and picnic basket, lowering himself to sit on the ground. He ushered Alec over, who immediately came and sat by his side. Magnus wrapped the blanket around them, leaving a small space open so he could reach for the picnic basket.

“I made us turkey sandwiches and brought wine.”

“Turkey sandwiches with wine? Classy.”

“I am a classy man.”

Alec snorted, helping Magnus pour the wine into the glasses he brought. Magnus raised his glass, bumping it with Alec’s before taking a sip. He took a bite of his sandwich before lying his head on Alec’s shoulder. He hummed in content, letting the bubbly feeling in his stomach wash over him.

“I have to ask. Why were you late?”

Magnus closed his eyes, exhaling a breath. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to come. I didn’t want to come and find out that my date was actually someone else and not you.”

“I’m glad you did,” Alec said, resting his head on top of Magnus’s.

“Me too.”

♥♥♥

Alec pushed Magnus against the door, moving to kiss his neck. Magnus let out a loud moan, tilting his neck to give Alec more access. Magnus could barely keep his hands off of Alec the whole ride to the house, never wanting to let him go. Alec licked over the bruising spot on Magnus’s neck before returning to Magnus’s lips. Suddenly, Alec hoisted Magnus up, holding him up against the door.

Magnus let out a low groan, wrapping his legs tight around Alec. He deepened the kiss, sighing happily as his tongue moved with Alec’s. He rolled his hips slightly, causing Alec to moan and thrust against Magnus.

“We should,” Magnus breathed out, “take this inside.”

Alec responded by opening the door, holding Magnus firmly with one hand around his ass. Alec stumbled a little as he lead them towards the bedroom. They broke apart as Alec hit the foot of the bed, letting Magnus fall onto the sheets. Magnus pulled Alec down by his shirt, planting small kisses anywhere he could. Alec was fumbling with the hem of Magnus’s shirt, trying to pull it off.

Magnus hurriedly pulled the shirt over his head, throwing it on the floor. He then quickly did the same to Alec’s shirt. His heart sped up as he watched Alec eyeing him up and down intensely. Magnus touched Alec’s cheek, grazing it lightly with his thumb. Magnus smiled as Alec blushed, grabbing ahold of Magnus’s hand.

“I, um, I haven’t really done this before,” Alec announced. _Oh._

“Okay,” Magnus said, “We don’t have to go far, or do anything for that matter. I quite like this view in front of me, anyway.”

Alec grinned, lowering his head down bashfully. “No, I want to...it’s just, fuck, I can’t decide how to start or where to even start.”

Biting his lips, Magnus flipped them over so that he was hovering over Alec. “How about we just start out slow and see where it leads, hm? You can let me know if there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with or if you want to stop.”

Alec nodded his head. “Yeah, okay.”

Magnus smiled fondly and dipped his head, pressing his lips against Alec’s neck. He swirled his tongue around, sucking at the pulse spot. Alec whimpered, letting Magnus know he found a sweet mouth. Magnus mouthed over the spot more, soaking in the sounds that escaped Alec’s mouth.

He then trailed his fingers over Alec’s smooth, hard chest, moving to press a kiss in the center. He slowly mouthed over Alec’s left nipple, eyeing Alec to make sure he was okay. Alec ran his hands through Magnus’s hair, nodding his head, moaning a ‘yes’ in response. Magnus took the it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around while he moved his other hand to graze over the right nipple.

Magnus sucked a few more times before switching, flicking his tongue against the bud. Alec arched his back a little, tugging at Magnus’s hair, panting heavily. Humming, Magnus carefully made his way towards Alec’s navel, letting his fingers graze over the button of Alec’s pants.

“Can I?” Magnus asked, looking up at Alec.

“ _Please_ ,” Alec whispered.

Undoing the buttons and sliding down the fly, Magnus slowly removes Alec’s pants before carelessly tossing them off to the side. He marveled at the view presented in front of him, Alec’s bulge much more apparent in his boxers. Exhaling a breath, Magnus ran his fingers up and down Alec’s thigh, stroking ever so softly. He could feel Alec tremble underneath him at the touch, letting out a small hum in approval.

Suddenly, Alec’s hand were planted on Magnus’s stomach, his fingers outlining the lining of Magnus’s pants. Alec smiled up at him, nervously fiddling with his bottom lip.

“You can unbutton them, if you’d like.” Magnus let out a shaky breath as Alec slowly unbuttoned his pants, his fingers briefly grazing over Magnus’s bulge before unzipping the fly. Magnus adjusted him quickly in order to shove his pants before returning to his previous position. He pressed up against Alec’s bulge, grinding slightly, eliciting a gasp from both of them.

“Is this okay?” Magnus whispered in Alec’s ear.

“It’s more than okay,” Alec breathed out, pressing Magnus closer to him.

Magnus chuckled, repeating the grinding movement once more. Alec began to move his hips, trying to copy Magnus’s movements. Magnus muttered Alec’s name in encouragement, nuzzling into Alec’s neck. The heat that enveloped Magnus made him shiver. He hastily nipped at Alec’s neck and then moved for his lips.

Alec happily gave into the kiss, opening his mouth slightly to allow Magnus’s tongue to dart inside. Magnus lifted Alec partially, deepening the kiss while giving Alec’s ass a squeeze. Magnus’s name escape from Alec’s mouth, reminding Magnus of just how much he missed hearing his name coming from Alec.

“Oh, Alexander,” he murmured, speeding up his movements.

Alec groaned, gripping Magnus’s ass tightly. The heat between the two grew, almost becoming unbearable. Magnus reached down, palming over Alec’s bulge. Alec whimpered Magnus’s name ass Magnus fiddled with the waistband of the man’s boxers.

“ _Magnus_. You’re so beautiful,” Alec whispered out of the blue, causing Magnus’s heart to jump.

“As are you, my darling,” Magnus whispered back. He pulled down Alec’s boxers, gasping as Alec’s erection sprang free. _Not only are you beautiful, Alexander. You’re heavenly._

♥♥♥

Magnus entwined his fingers with Alec’s, letting out a sigh of content. They were snuggled up next to each other with Magnus resting his head on Alec’s chest. Alec ran his free hand up and down Magnus’s back, pressing soft, lazy kisses on the top of his head. Sleep wasn’t coming easily to neither of them, both still caught up in the embrace of one another.

“I just realized we haven’t checked our expiry date,” Alec pointed out in a soft whisper.

“Oh, yeah. Should we do that?” Magnus said, moving to reach for his tablet.

“No, no.” Alec stopped Magnus, pulling him back down to his chest. “I think we should leave it alone.”

Magnus perked up an eyebrow, letting out a hum to let Alec know to continue on. “It’s just, I’d prefer not to know this time. I don’t want for us to spend the entire time during our relationship with the _knowing_. I just want us to enjoy our time together.”

The thought of not checking the expiry date never really occurred to Magnus until now. And he wasn’t sure if he’d be okay with not checking. He was used to the knowing and despite the dread that sometime came with it, it comforted Magnus in a sense. Then Magnus went back to the time he met Alec and finding out that they had had only sixteen hours with each other.

Did he really want to experience what he felt then once again? Being in Alec’s presence was the only he needed. “I think we shouldn’t either. We should just live in the moment.”

“Hm, exactly.”

Alec tilted Magnus’s head, smiling at him. Magnus smiled back before leaning in to give a kiss. Whatever time he had with Alec, he was just happy enough that he got a second chance with Alec. Alec had Magnus wrapped around his finger from the first time Magnus saw the man.

Magnus felt his eyelids getting heavy. He snuggled closer to Alec, pulling the blankets up farther. He could stay wrapped around Alec’s finger forever.

♥♥♥

“Are you serious?” Alec promptly said, looking between Magnus and the two bicycles next to him.

Magnus beamed, nodding his head frantically. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“Bike riding? Fun? I don’t know where you got that idea from.”

“Please?” Magnus whined, pouting his lips. He thought it’d be a great idea to ride around the park with Alec and enjoy the beautiful, sunny day.

Alec stared at him for a minute before giving in. “God, you make it so hard to say no.”

Magnus giggled, winking at Alec as he hopped onto his bike. Alec did the same, shaking his head a little at Magnus. “I’m too tall for this.”

Magnus sped off, leaving Alec in the dust. When he looked behind to check on Alec, he almost ran into a tree. Alec’s long legs did him no good as he tried to catch up, his feet slipping off the pedals every few seconds. Laughter bubbled up from inside Magnus and he could no longer contain it, letting it all escape.

“Stop laughing! This isn’t funny,” Alec huffed. “You’re not much shorter than me so how the fuck are you doing this?”

“It’s called poise, Alexander,” Magnus teased.

Alec scoffed, muttering something under his breath that Magnus could not quite catch. Despite how foolish Alec looked, Magnus was amused and couldn’t help but to look over at Alec every so often with a look full of adoration. He was enjoying this moment, a moment full of innocence. The two of them were just being silly, joking around and finding ways to make the other laugh.

Magnus’s time with Imasu had been far better than some of his previous relationships, but rarely had they found themselves in a moment like this. It wasn’t that Imasu never took up on one of Magnus’s offer to have a little fun, it’s just that usually the moments were spent in an uncomfortable silence. Magnus would say a joke that Imasu wouldn't understand, leading to such unbearable silence in which Magnus felt suffocated.

With Alec, Magnus could finally breathe. He had meant it when he said Alec opened up something in him that he’d thought he lost long ago. There was a vulnerability that Magnus exposed around Alec, the kind he’d opt out of sharing with anyone else.

“And here I thought I was the loud thinker.” Magnus looked up to find Alec staring at him with his eyebrows creased, a sign of worry. The two of them had stopped near a pond.

“Sorry. I was just thinking about you,” Magnus explained, fixing his gaze on Alec.

“Good things, I hope?” Alec asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Always, my dear. Always,” Magnus said.

Alec smiled, breaking Magnus’s gaze in order to survey their surroundings. Though it was a warm and sunny day, only a few people were gathered around the park. A young couple waited at an ice-cream stand that stood in the center of the park, smiling and talking. Suddenly, Magnus was craving mint and chocolate ice-cream.

“Want to get some ice-cream?” Magnus asked.

Alec nodded, wheeling his bike over to a nearby tree. Magnus did the same, parking his bike right next to Alec’s. “You don’t think anyone would try and steal them, right?”

“Would it be a bad thing if someone did?” Alec teased. Magnus rolled his eyes, placing his hands in Alec’s. They walked over to the ice-cream stand and ordered a mint chocolate chip cone for Magnus and a cookies and cream for Alec.

They walked back over to the tree with their ice-cream cones in one hand, taking a seat on the ground, facing the pond. A group of ducks swam around the pond, dunking their heads underwater and splashing about. A couple walked-by, stopping for a few to feed the ducks. Magnus snickered when one of the women almost fell into the water and dropped the bag of seeds she had in her hands, causing the ducks to gather around her and fight for the food.

Magnus turned his head to look at Alec who was shaking his head fondly with a small smile on his face, likely as a result of the scene Magnus had just witnessed. The ice-cream from Alec’s cone was starting to melt, dripping onto his shirt. Alec wiped at the drop before sucking on his finger to rid of the rest. Magnus had to stop himself from staring, shuddering a little.

“I’ve been thinking,” Alec said, breaking their small silence, “what if there’s no true order to the Clave?”

Magnus furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Alec with curiosity. “What do you mean?"

“What if we just all go along with it because they’re always telling us how clever it is?” Alec posed. “I mean, you’ve said it yourself. You were starting to lose all hope until we met. What if the Clave’s not perfect and all it does it just gradually wear us down, putting us in relationships for random durations in a random sequence? And each time a piece of us is broken until eventually they give us the one and we just accept it because we’re so defeated by then?”

Magnus soaked in Alec’s words, pondering for a moment. “Do you think that was the case for Maia and Clary?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to believe it wasn’t, but how do we know it really worked for them?”

“What’s making you think about all of this? I mean, I’ve had questions myself, but…”

Alec pressed his lips together before letting out a groan. “I guess a part of me is just trying not to think about us and why the Clave has brought us together twice. What if this is a mistake?”

“So...you think our relationship is a mistake?” Magnus questioned, trying to hide the hurt from his voice.

“No, no, of course not,” Alec quickly reassured. “I’m just a little scared. What I feel for you, Magnus, I just...I don’t want to lose you. ”

Magnus leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Alec’s. He squeezed Alec’s hand in understanding, circling his thumb over Alec’s palm. He understood the fear Alec carried. What if everything Alec had said about the Clave was true? Would he be able to handle such a revelation if it ever came to?

“I ruined the mood a little, didn’t I?” Alec asked, slumping his shoulders.

Magnus shook his head. He gave a small smile, nudging his nose with Alec’s. He captured Alec’s lips with his, the kiss soft and gentle. Alec hummed lowly, pushing back Magnus slightly. Magnus nipped at Alec’s bottom lip, causing Alec to moan. Before Magnus could be tempted any further to deepen the kiss and drown in the taste of chocolate, he pulled back, tutting at Alec.

“You made me drop my ice-cream cone,” Magnus pointed out, their ice-cream cones lying on the ground, forgotten. He made a pouty face, crossing his arms for dramatic effect.

Alec bit his lips and shrugged. “You kissed first, so it’s not my fault.”

“Only because you ruined the mood,” Magnus said.

“Hey! Technically, if I ruined the mood, you wouldn’t have kissed me.”

“Oh, shut up.”

♥♥♥

When Magnus awoke from restlessness, he found himself alone. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes before glancing at the time. It was four in the morning. He frowned, wondering what Alec was doing out of bed at this time. He groggily pulled off the covers and climbed off the bed, heading for the living room. A movie was playing in the background, the light illuminating the dark room. Alec was asleep on the couch, his soft snores almost drowned by the noise of the T.V.

Why was Alec sleeping on the couch?

Magnus walked over to the sleeping man, bending down next to him. He caressed Alec’s face, smiling softly at the beauty before him. “Alexander, my love?”

Alec only responded with a small hum, adjusting himself as if he were trying to move closer to Magnus. Magnus gently called out to him again, not receiving a response once more. Some nights, Alec was a light sleeper, and other nights, not even an earthquake could wake him up.

Smirking to himself, Magnus tilted his head and blew into Alec’s ear. Alec shivered in response, letting out a small groan. When he didn’t open his eyes, Magnus licked the lobe of Alec’s ear before nipping at it slightly. Alec jolted awake, frantically looking around the room before noticing Magnus.

“Mm, what are you doing?” Alec slurred.

“I should ask the same,” Magnus said. “What are you doing out here, sleeping on the couch?”

“Oh,” Alec said, running his hands through his hair. “I had a nightmare and didn’t want to wake you, so I came out here to watch some T.V. and I guess I fell back to sleep.”

“You could’ve woken me up, you know,” Magnus pointed up.

“I know, but you just looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to bother you with my stuff.”

Magnus looked at Alec with a sad expression, caressing Alec’s face once more. “You can talk to me about anything, my love. Don’t worry about disturbing my sleep.”

Rising to his feet, Magnus outstretched his hand for Alec to take. “Come on, you’re coming back to bed with me and we’re going to talk about your nightmare. Or, if you’d rather not talk yet, we can cuddle. The bed’s cold without you.”

Alec took Magnus’s hands, letting him lead them back to the bedroom. Magnus slid into the bed, pulling Alec down with him and snuggling right into him. Magnus decided he would wait and see if Alec was going to talk or not. After a few minutes of silence, Alec did. Alec explained the nightmare was him running towards something in the dark, desperately trying to reach out for someone.

“I was trying to reach out for you,” Alec murmured. “Everytime I tried, it was like something was holding me back.”

Magnus tried to say something to comfort Alec, but his words were caught in his throat. This was the second time Alec had admitted to him in some form that he was scared of losing Magnus. And Magnus wasn’t sure hot to react to that or how to _feel_. He never thought someone could care this much for him. He felt the same way about Alec, obviously. Losing Alec...well, that was something Magnus didn’t ever want to face.

And he didn’t even know when his relationship with Alec expired because the two of them agreed not to look.

“I love you.” Magnus could feel the weight fall off his shoulders at his confession. Maybe it was too soon to say those three words, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that they’d only truly known each other for a week. From the moment he had met Alec, he was done for. The way Alec made him feel was exhilarating and he wanted Alec to know that.

“I love you, too,” Alec whispered.

While he hadn’t expected for Alec to say it back, he was glad Alec did. Though it was dark, Magnus knew Alec was smiling just like he was. Magnus loved Alec and Alec loved him back. If all of this was due to just a random happenstance through the Clave, Magnus couldn’t bring himself to care in that moment. He was in love.

♥♥♥

Truth be told, Magnus hated swimming. It’s not that he couldn’t swim because he could. He had learned how to swim at a very young age and was quite excellent at it. Still, he loathed it. However, as he watched Alec swim while he sat at the ledge of the pool, he was tempted to join in.

“Well, are you going to keep staring or are you going to join me?” Alec asked, splashing the water a little at Magnus.

“Hey, watch it!” Magnus kicked at the water, splashing back at Alec. Alec giggled, splashing him once more before diving back under the water. When Alec remerged a few seconds later, Magnus had to bite his tongue to stop himself from letting out a low moan.

Alec’s wet hair drooped to the side and the water droplets covering Alec’s skin glistened in the sunlight. Magnus’s body felt like it was on fire. Just when he thought Alec couldn’t be any more beautiful. Alec was watching him with dark eyes, smirking as if he knew what he was doing to Magnus. _Fuck it_.

Magnus jumped into the water, swimming towards Alec who was waiting for him. Grabbing ahold of Alec’s face, Magnus smashed their lips together. He ignored the taste of chlorine, drowning himself under Alec’s touch. It was amazing after how many kisses they’ve shared that they still left Magnus in a dizzying state.

Just as Alec started to make his way down Magnus’s neck, Magnus pulled back and splashed Alec. The other man gasped, eyeing Magnus with such disbelief. Magnus smiled smugly before swimming away, reveling in the sweet victory as he heard Alec mutter a string of curse words.

“Seriously, Magnus?” Alec called out. “You can’t tease a man like that!”

“Oh, really, and you can? Don’t start the game and not expect someone to play along,” Magnus said.

“Hm, true,” Alec replied, swimming towards Magnus. “But if I recall correctly, we’re both very competitive and I let you win the last time we played a game.”

“ _Let?_ ” Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Sure, if that’s still what you want to believe, darling.”

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus’s waist, nuzzling into the crook Magnus’s neck. Alec mumbled something about magic, something he mentioned during their first date. Magnus simply snorted, telling Alec that even if he truly had magical powers, he would not use them for cheating. He played fair and won. That was that.

The two of them exchanged lazy kisses, giggling whenever one made a joke or an offhand comment about something. After some time, Magnus reckoned it was time for them to get out of the pool before their skin turned wrinkly forever. After Magnus dried himself, he went to ask Cat for restaurant recommendations. Despite the little dates he and Alec had went on here and there, they never went to one of those fancy restaurants where you were charged fifty dollars for a plate of food that was no larger than the size of your fist.

In doing so, Magnus was reminded once again of something he didn’t want to be reminded about. Their expiry date. Both he and Alec chose not to reveal their expiry date, an agreement Magnus wished he opted out on. While it had been practically freeing at first, Magnus couldn’t help but find himself wondering at least once a day when it was going to end. Of course he doesn't want this to end. But he knew sooner or later, the day would come.

And it was itching at him.

Magnus wanted to prepare. He wanted to prepare himself for the heartbreak he’d once again experience. Could it be so wrong to want to know? The irony of it all. He had agreed with Alec at first because they didn’t want to deal with the knowing, but yet here here was. Wanting.

“Magnus?”

Right. He needed to collect himself. Faking a smile, Magnus turned around to face Alec. Alec was looking at him with the look he always gave when he was worrying about Magnus. The crinkles in his forehead and his eyebrows furrowed. Oh, how much Magnus adored this man.

“I was going to make us reservations for a nice evening out, but I think we should save that for tomorrow night, hm?” Magnus said. “All this swimming has made me exhausted.”

“You spent half of the time in the pool kissing me, so what swimming are you talking about exactly?” Alec pointed out.

“ _Fine_. All the kissing has made me exhausted,” Magnus corrected himself. Rolling his eyes, Alec finished putting his clothes on, drying his hair one last time with a towel. The outcome left his hair in a messy state, as it always was.

“Your hair is always driving me nuts,” Magnus commented.

“You love it though.” Magnus hummed, nodding his head. He did. The messy look worked on Alec exceptionally well.

They made their way back to their living quarters, deciding they would settle on pizza for dinner. The time in the pool truly did exhaust Magnus and Alec too, so neither of them were feeling up for the task of actual cooking. Alec threw a meat lover’s pizza into the oven before plopping onto the couch. Magnus turned on the TV, switching through the channels, trying to find something to watch.

The two of them had already binged on most of the movies on Netflix and were making their way through _Game of Thrones_ , but they needed a break from the show. Finally, Magnus settled on some TV show about shadows and hunting. He didn’t really pay attention to the title, but figured it would do for now.

Magnus took the pizza out of the oven, bringing it to the living room, not bothering with plates. Alec dug in right away, appearing to be deeply invested in the TV show Magnus chose. It was alright, he supposed. His favorite characters were definitely the warlock and the tall shadowhunter dude.

“I really like their relationship,” Alec said, noting the warlock and shadowhunter. “They have this obstacle that should be pulling them apart, but it only brings them closer together.”

“Hm.I find the shadowhunter extremely cute too,” Magnus said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I prefer the warlock,” Alec said with a smirk.

Once again, time passed them by as they bickered over the TV show, fighting over the characters. Alec was being a stubborn hard ass, but Magnus was too. Finally, they both agreed they’ve had enough and needed to get to bed. They were always staying up past midnight, but Magnus didn’t mind as it was usually because the two of them were enjoying their time too much.

Settling into the bed, Magnus started to think about their expiry date some more. He hated that it was eating away at him. God, he just couldn’t wait until the timer started its countdown. He needed to know. Waiting until he heard Alec’s snores, Magnus carefully made his out of the bed, grabbing his tablet. He made his way outside in the backyard, staring at the tablet in his hands.

“Cat...I need to know,” Magnus said, his fingers trembling.

“What do you need to know, Magnus?”

“I need to know the expiry date for Alexander and I. I need to know when our relationship ends.”

No response came. “Are you not going to try and talk me out of it?” Magnus asked.

“Would you like for me to talk you out of it, Magnus?”

“Yeah, no, fuck. I don’t know.” Magnus fiddled with the device in his hands, walking back and forth. He said he wouldn’t do it. He told Alec he agreed and that he wouldn’t look. The device beeped, the screen flashing at him. _Tap to reveal_.

Inhaling a deep breath, Magnus looked around before hovering his finger over the button. _Fuck it_. Before he could turn back, he quickly tapped the button. A number popped up right away. Four years. Magnus let out a shaky laugh, nodding to himself. Okay. Four years. He could handle four years.

The device beeped again, the screen turning red. _Recalibrating_ . The number then changed, turning to three years. What the hell? Magnus tapped at the screen, calling out for Cat. _Recalibrating_. Magnus’s heart rate sped up as he tapped at the screen.

“Cat, what’s happening?” he called out, watching as the number changed again. “The time’s getting shorter.”

“One-sided observation has destabilized the expiry date,” Cat announced.

_“What?”_

“One-sided observation has destabilized the expiry date.” It was now eighteen months. Panic settled in.

“So, what, because I looked at it on my own, it made it shorter?” he asked, watching as the time continued to change.

“That is correct,” Cat confirmed.

“Why?”

“Everything happens for a reason.”

The device chimes, the time now settled on two months. Magnus cursed to himself before telling Cat to make it undo whatever he’d done. However, Cat couldn’t do that. Even when he asked if Alec were to look at it, Cat explained that once shortened, the expiry date cannot be extended. What the fuck. _Recalibrating_.

Three weeks. Ten days. Eight days.

“When will it stop?” Magnus asked hoarsely.

“It will stop once recalibration has been completed.”

“Please, just stop it,” Magnus begged. Right on cue, it stopped. Twenty hours. The device beeped one last time, starting its countdown.

Magnus just stared down at the screen, his eyes welling up with tears. It felt like a lump was stuck in his throat. _What did he just do?_ Magnus sniffled, letting out a few short breaths before turning the device off. He walked back inside and into the bedroom. Alec had his arms wrapped around a pillow, hugging it close to his chest.

Magnus took a seat at the edge of the bed, unable to bring himself to hold Alec. He stared out the window, watching silently as the night soon grew to morning. Usually, he’d find the sunrise a beautiful scene, but this time, it only served as a painful awakening. Magnus felt Alec stir, letting out a disgruntled moan.

“Mm, g’morning,” Alec said with a yawn.

“Good morning,” Magnus managed to reply.

Alec crawled over to Magnus, pressing a kiss against his cheeks before heading for the shower. Alec asked Magnus if he wanted to come along and join, but Magnus declined. How was he going to do this? There was no way he could look into Alec’s eyes and tell him what happened. But he was going to have to because there was no telling if Alec would notice the timer on his Coach.

Why did he have to look? Deep down, Magnus knew it wouldn’t of have made a difference. Alec was the love of his life. Losing the love of your life was not something you could ever prepare for. Forcing himself up from the bed, Magnus made his way into the kitchen, preparing him and Alec coffee.

He watched as the coffee machine did its thing, filling up the cup slowly. Alec came walking in with a big smile, his hair damp from the shower.

“I was thinking we could head to the mall here in a bit. Since we’re planning to go to a fancy restaurant, I figured we could do some shopping, well more so me, and pick out a nice suit or something,” Alec said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. You don’t seem excited,” Alec pointed out, noticing Magnus’s frown.

“No, no, I am,” Magnus lied. “You just caught me off guard is all. That sounds amazing.”

Alec grinned, pulling Magnus in for a kiss. Magnus wanted to pull away, but his feet didn’t budge. He needed to savor this moment forever. The coffee machine dinged, causing Alec to break away from the kiss. Alec poured them each a cup of coffee, asking Magnus what he wanted for breakfast. Magnus suggested Belgian waffles, thinking back to his first breakfast with Alec. Alec agreed, jumping in to help Magnus.

For the rest of the morning, Magnus only listened as Alec talked to him about what he was thinking in terms of the type of suit he was looking for. Alec even teased him a little for not stepping in and making suggestions, but the truth was, Magnus loved Alec’s ideas. And well, even if he did have suggestions, it’s not like they would’ve mattered anyway.

♥♥♥

“It shouldn’t be this hard to find a suit!” Alec groaned with frustration. “You’d think there’d be more options than what we’ve seen, and that says a lot coming from me.”

Magnus hummed quietly in agreement. The two had been looking around the shops in the mall for about an hour and had no luck. The fanciest suit they found was a purple one with zebra patterns. It was a horrifying sight.

“Are you okay? You’ve been quieter than usual this morning,” Alec acknowledged.

It was time. He could keep on lying to Alec for the rest of the day, but he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want his last moments with Alec to be tainted with a lie. Magnus inhaled deeply, looking up at Alec. He studied every inch of Alec’s face, trying to memorize every detail he possibly could.

“I looked.”

Tilting his head, Alec glanced at him with confusion. “Looked at what?”

Magnus just stared at him with a pained looked. Alec seemed to connect the dots, looking down at the ground. “We both agreed we wouldn’t look.”

“You don’t want to know what it said?”

“No!” Alec exclaimed. “That was the whole point.”

“I know…”

“Well, when?” Alec asked, looking back up at Magnus. “I’m guessing soon by the way you’ve been acting.”

“We have about an hour left,” Magnus confessed.

Alec looked taken aback, clenching his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I didn’t want to spoil today,” Magnus started, earning a scoff from Alec. “It was supposed to be four years but now...I don’t know. I looked at it and it started going down and-”

“So _you_ broke it?” Alec accused.

“No, I don’t know!” Magnus let out an angry grunt, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, but I love you Alexander an-”

“And what? Loving me wasn’t enough?” Alec cut off.

“That’s not the point, Alexander. Yes, I looked, but listen, maybe we can make a run for it. We can just fuck the Clave, we’ll fuck it-”

“No,” Alec uttered. “What do you expect us to do, Magnus? Huh?”

“We can make a jump for it, jump over the wall and leave. Please, Alexander,” Magnus pleaded.

“There’s nothing out there, Magnus!”

“How do you know that? You’ve talked about your doubts before, Alexander, so why not just go for it?”

A crowd started to gather around them, obviously drawn to their argument. Alec regarded Magnus for a few seconds before shaking his head. “You’ve ruined it.”

Magnus took a step towards Alec, reaching out for his hands. Alec pulled his arm away, a look of disbelief written all over his face. “Alexander, please.”

“You’ve ruined it,” Alec said one last time before pushing through the crowd and walking away.

Magnus could barely breathe, his chest feeling tight. The crowd was staring at him with unkind eyes. Never before had Magnus ever felt this small before in his life. All he wanted to do was crawl underneath a giant rock and disappear forever. Forcing his feet to move, Magnus ran from the crowd. It felt like his whole body was on fire, but he didn’t care. If he burned, he burned.

When he reached the place that had become a home for him and Alec, he let himself drop to the ground. The gravel scraped his skin, blood drawing from the scrape and dripping onto the ground. Magnus finally let the tears that had welled up fall. A broken sob escaped from his mouth as he clenched his fists, letting everything he had been holding in out.

He reached for the back pocket of his pants, shakily withdrawing his tablet. He fumbled around as he turned on the device, the tears falling onto the screen. The device beeped and up popped the countdown, the numbers winding down to mere minutes.

“Why?” he let out a meek whisper.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Cat said in response.

Magnus gave the device a dirty look, letting out a strangled noise. “What reason?”

“The Clave will be assessing your reaction to the painful premature termination of a treasured relationship and will adjust and improve its profile of your eventual chosen one accordingly.”

“Well, aren’t you such a great comfort,” Magnus snarked.

“Thank you.”

Magnus let out a breathy sob. “I just want to make a fucking break for it. I just want to jump over that wall and let whatever the fuck is out there take me.”

“That would go against the rules of the Clave,” Cat intervened.

“Oh, the fucking system!” Magnus shouted, tightening his grip on the tablet.

“You must vacate the premises soon,” Cat said, ignoring Magnus’s frustration.

“Duh,” Magnus muttered, sniffling. He picked himself up off the ground, wiping off his knees. The blood from the scrape had dried up, staining his hands. Magnus studied the house in front of him with Alec filling up his mind.

 _Alexander_.

______________________♥♥♥______________________

There weren’t enough words in the universe to describe how much Alec missed Magnus. He missed Magnus before, but he didn’t know what it was truly like to have Magnus as a part of his life then. Magnus had just been a man whom he felt an easy connection with, not the man he loved. And from the way he missed Magnus the first time...there really were just no words to explain it this time.

And tomorrow was Alec’s pairing day.

Two months had passed by since he saw Magnus, and in that time, Alec had only two short relationships. Somehow, the Clave thought he was ready. It only took four relationships for him. But Alec wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to meet whoever this guy was. There was only one person Alec wanted.

“Do I know this person already?” Alec asked Iz, a small rise of hope stirring in his chest.

“Negative.” Alec sighed. Right.

“There is one more thing,” Iz began, “You have been allocated a short farewell period with an individual of your choosing.”

“A farewell period? As in I get to say goodbye to someone?” Alec checked.

“That is correct.”

“Magnus,” Alec quickly said. “I choose Magnus.”

“Your choice has been registered.”

Alec nodded to himself, trying to catch up with his thoughts. His brain was in overdrive, thinking of many possibilities of what to say and do. “Wait, where are we meeting?”

“The usual spot, 7:30 p.m.”

“Okay.” Alec walked into his room, grabbing his leather jacket. He then opened the bedroom window, soaking in the warmth from the sun for just a moment. “Hey, Iz?”

“Yes, Alec?”

“I’m sorry.” Alec threw the device out of the window, watching as it glided through the air until it hit the pavement with a crack. There was no turning back now. Alec shut the window and went over to look at himself in the bedroom mirror.

As always, his hair made him look like he just rolled out of bed. It was frustrating sometimes, but Magnus had told him once he liked the messy look. It suited him. Alec smiled then at the thought of seeing Magnus again. He had been upset with Magnus for looking, but he understood why Magnus had looked. And it wasn’t like Magnus knew what was going to happen when he did.

_He was doing this._

♥♥♥

When Alec walked in, Magnus was waiting for him. Magnus stood up as Alec walked over towards him, ready to say something, but Alec just grabbed Magnus by the face and kissed him. Magnus let out a startled moan before kissing back furiously. It was funny as to just how much Magnus’s lips felt like home. Everything about Magnus felt like home.

“Mm, wait, wait,” Magnus said against Alec’s lips, pulling back slightly. “How long have we got?” Magnus looked at his tablet, the time reading a minute.

“Okay, so the Clave’s matched me with the one. I’m supposed to meet them tomorrow,” Magnus explained.

“Me too.”

Magnus studied Alec, smiling at him. “Alexander...I don’t want who the Clave reckons is my one. I want you.”

“I want you,” Alec said, holding Magnus’s hands in his.

“Failure to comply with the Clave may result in banishment,” Cat chimed in.

“Fuck off,” Alec and Magnus replied at the same time. Alec chuckled, staring at Magnus with such disbelief.

“Magnus...you and me, we always seem to find our way back to each other,” Alec started, receiving a small hum from Magnus, “Look, do you remember where you were before you came here?”

Magnus’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought about Alec’s question. “No, not really. I mean, I’ve thought about it, but there’s really nothing there.”

“Same with me. You know the night we first met, how it felt?”

Magnus nodded. “I felt safe, happy, comfortable. It felt right, like we’d met before, like something was already locked into place.”

“Like it happened before and that it’ll happen a thousand times over and over. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Ever since we’ve met, I just feel like like this world has been toying with us, trying to keep us apart despite this force that is pulling me towards you,” Alec explained. “Magnus, I think this is a test and the two of us rebelling together is something to do with passing it.”

“We’ve gotta fuck it all off,” Magnus simply said, causing Alec to laugh.

“Yes, exactly. We’ve gotta fuck it all off and go.”

“Yeah, over the wall.”

“Right over it. No matter what’s out there.”

Magnus’s tablet beeped. Their minute was up. Alec stared at Magnus with pleading eyes, squeezing his hands tightly. “Well, Alexander, let’s go.”

They raised from their seats, looking around to see a crowd formed around them just like it had at the mall. Everyone was watching them in silence with their black-beady eyes blinking slowly. Inhaling a deep breath, Alec took a step forward, the crowd unmoving. Another step. And another. When Alec was just about ready to push past the last person, they raised their hand up, warning for Alec and Magnus to stop.

Magnus boldly stepped forward, reaching out to lower the person’s arm down. As Magnus did so, the crowd glitched as if a computer were malfunctioning. Alec looked over to Magnus with a small grin, grabbing Magnus’s hands once again. They slowly made their way out, observing the glitching crowd of people one last time.

They then started to run, letting out breathy laughs as they ran across the street, swerving around people who stood frozen in the streets. The wall was now in their view, glowering above them in the dark. Slowly, they approached the wall, coming upon a ladder that led to the top of the wall.

Alec released Magnus’s hands from his grip, heading for the ladder. “Come on.”

Alec jumped onto the ladder and started to climb, moving one feet over the other. Magnus quickly followed behind. Their breaths became short and uneven the farther they went on, the view of the city now surrounding them. The lights that lit up the city suddenly turned off, a dark shadow devouring the city. Soon, the dark shadow washed over Alec and Magnus.

The two of them found themselves standing among a crowd of couples. Alec recognized Maia and Clary, Simon and Raphael, and Eli with some man. He also recognized a few different versions of Magnus and him. Above their heads was a heart symbol with the words ‘998 simulations completed’’ engraved in the middle. Soon, the couples began dissipating into the air in the form of red, glowing orbs.

Alec watched the orbs as they floated to the top, disappearing past the point where the words ‘stimulations completed’ glowed vibrantly. Alec quickly looked over at Magnus in awe before he felt himself starting to float. He let the darkness take him, whispering one last word to himself.

♥♥♥

Alec sat near the pool table of the bar, checking his phone for the millionth time. The wait was killing him. He bounced his leg up and down, fidgeting with his fingers. He hated how nervous he felt, but he couldn’t help it. He was going to see _him_.

His phone dinged, causing him to jump out of his seat. It was a message from his sister. He smiled as he read the message.

**_From: Isabelle_ **

_Don’t worry. It’ll go perfectly. Get your man, Alec._

Alec looked up from his seat and met Isabelle’s gaze. She was staring at him from the other end of the bar, where she was hanging out with Maia and Clary. The two women were giggling at each other, as they always were. At the booth next to them, there was Simon and Raphael who were engaged in what looked to be a serious conversation. He really did not understand the dynamic of their relationship, but it seemed to work.

The door of the bar suddenly opened. Alec’s breath caught in his throat as Magnus walked in, looking around the room. He met Alec’s gaze and flashed a smile, walking over towards him. Alec stood up from his seat, grinning goofily at Magnus.

“Alexander,” Magnus breathed out.

“Magnus.”

Magnus was now standing in front of Alec with a playful smirk, gazing into his eyes. “You chose a great place for us to meet, hm?”

Alec snorted, giving a small shrug. “It seemed fitting.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. “Well, this should be a very interesting date, don’t you think?”

“Indeed,” Alec replied, sitting back down, motioning for Magnus to join next to him. The two of them had been matched on an app called the Clave, which was ironic considering they already knew each other from the circle of friends they shared. Alec had been hesitant on using the app, but Isabelle told him it didn’t hurt to try.

Thus, he did. And when he had been matched with Magnus, all he could do was laugh. He had a crush on Magnus for as long as he could remember, never making a move. The truth was, Alec couldn’t help but feel like he knew Magnus from somewhere else instead of just their circle of friends. Whenever the two of them talked, they seemed to know bits and pieces of information about each other that they never shared with anyone. And one night, Alec dreamed about him and Magnus at The Hunter’s Moon, sharing an intimate moment, except it didn’t feel like a dream. He decided to share parts of it with Magnus and found that Magnus had a similar dream.

And here they were, at The Hunter’s Moon, and it felt right. This felt right, like they were meant to be. Magnus placed his hands on top of Alec’s, smiling softly at Alec. Alec slowly leaned in, stopping short in front of Magnus’s face, his lips brushing against Magnus’s. He locked eyes with Magnus’s, whose eyes shimmered a beautiful golden-brown.

“It’s you, forever,” he whispered, closing the distance between them.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed ♥ (And yes, there isn't any mention of Valentine's Day, but these two dorks in love should suffice).
> 
> I am [@beyondthehunt](https://beyondthehunt.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to talk to me!


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